Amusement key



Sept. 26, 1967 s. KAPLAN 3,343,835

AMUSEMENT KEY Filed April 20, 1965 f gg Z/ iii INVENTOR. .S/DNE Y KAPL A/v BY J f Arrow/7 United States Patent 3,343,835 AMUSEMENT KEY SidneyKaplan, New York, N.Y., assignor to Ruth Kaplan, Laurelton, N.Y. FiledApr. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 449,518 4 Claims. (Cl. 272-8) The presentinvention relates to an amusement device or toy and, more particularly,to an amusement device that may be worn on the body of a person with theview of creating an illusion that such person is mechanically impelledin his motions or, that such person is a mechanical robot.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device, of thecharacter described, which may be easily and conveniently supported onthe person of the user by conspicuous attachment to a garment or otherarticle of apparel worn by the user.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a device, ofthe character described, which includes a motile part that is easily andreadily noticeable by an observer, whereby the illusion of mechanicalpropulsion is readily created.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a device,of the character described, which may be easily and convenientlymanipulated.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device, ofthe character described, which may be readily and easily installed inplace, and as readily and easily removed and re-installed.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide adevice, of the character described, which is of relatively low cost,particularly in View of the amusement which it affords the user as wellas persons observing the user.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the amusement deviceof the present invention will become more readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art from the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanyingdrawing, and from the description following. It is to be understood,however, that such embodiment is shown by way of illustration only, tomake the principles and practice of the invention more readilycomprehensible, and without any intent of limiting the invention to thespecific details therein shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, on a small scale, showing the device ofthe person as supported on the garment of a person;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the device of FIG. 1, on a relativelygreatly enlarged scale, partly broken away to illustrate, more or lessdiagrammatically, details of arrangement and construction; and

FIG. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of FIG. 2..

Generally stated, the invention consists of a readilywound motor withwhich is associated a member consisting of or resembling a manualmotor-winding element or key. The motor is housed in a casing providedwith means for attaching it to or on a garment or other article ofapparen, and the winding element is of greatly exaggerated size, beingproportionate to the body of the person rather than the motor housing,so that when the device is worn on the person, the winding element,because of its greatly exaggerated size, will be clearly visible andnoticeable and its unwinding movement readily observable and imposing.

Referring now, in greater detail, to the embodiment of the inventionillustrated in the drawing, the same is shown to comprise a housing orcasing, 10, containing a motor which may be of any desired type, such asa battery-operated motor conventionally used with toys, or, asillustrated, a spring motor, generally designated as 12,

I with which is associated operatively,

3,343,835 Patented Sept. 26, 1967 for axial rotation, a shaft, 14,preferably having the squared end, 16, that is disposed opposite anopening, 18, formed in a wall of the housing. Where the motor 12 is aspring motor, as illustrated, the shaft 14 may comprise the windingshaft for the motor. In the latter instance, a suitable gear train, 15

of any conventional type, may be provided between themotor-spring-supporting shaft 17, and the winding shaft 14 of the motor,and any suitable conventional means, such as a flywheel (not shown), maylikewise be provided to regulate the unwinding of the spring. As thelast-described two mechanisms are well known in the art, it is notthought necessary to illustrate or describe them in detail.

The device of the present invention includes means on the housing 10,preferably on the wall, 20, thereof opposite to the wall having theopening 18 whereby the device may be worn on the body, as by attachmentto or over the edge of a garment. Such attaching means may comprise ofpinhooks secured to the wall of the housing 10 or, as illustrated, oneor more spring hooks, 20, which may be formed integrally with or securedto the housing wall and may be engaged over the edge of the waistline ofa garment, such as a skirt or trousers, or over the edge of a belt orlike article worn on the body. In the latter instance, the attachingmeans may comprise loops through which the belt may be passed, insteadof hooks.

The device also comprises an element comprising or in the shape of awinding key, generally designated at 22, of greatly exaggerated size,which is mounted on the squared end 16 of the shaft 14 through theopening '18. Whereas the normal Winding key for a spring motor may havea wing spread not exceeding about an inch or, at most, an inch and ahalf, the winding key 22 of the device of the present invention may bemade with wings, 24, having a spread of about a foot or even more, andmay be highly exaggerated in width in proportion to the wing spread. TheWings 24 may be mounted on a stem, 26, which may be of conventional orslightly larger than conventional size, and need not be as exaggeratedin size as the wings 24. The squared end 16 provides a means extendingthrough opening 18 for interconnecting shaft 14 and key stem 26.

This completes the description of the amusement device of the presentinvention. It will be readily apparent that such device is of relativelysimple construction and easy to attach to the body or to set inoperation. It will also be readily apparent that such device, when wornon the body and set oil to rotate the key 22, will create an illusion ofmechanical propulsion and manipulation of the body, particularly if thewearer simulates mechanical movement of the arms and legs and other bodyparts as the key member 22 is rotated.

It will be further apparent that numerous variations and modificationsin the amusement device of the present invention may be made by anyoneskilled in the art, in accordance with the principles of the inventionhereinabove set forth, without the exercise of any inventive ingenuity.I desire, therefore, to be protected for any and all such variations andmodifications that may be made within the spirit of the invention andthe scope of the claims hereto appended.

What I claim is:

1. An amusement device comprising, in combination, a toy motor, ahousing for said motor, a rotary shaft within said housing associatedwith said motor for rotation thereby, an opening in one wall of saidhousing normal to said shaft, and a key element of exaggerated sizerelative to said housing mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith,means extending through said opening and conmeeting said shaft to saidkey element, said key element having wings defining a plane, the axis ofsaid shaft being in said plane, and means on the wall of said housingopposite to said one wall whereby said housing may be supported on agarment worn on the body of a person.

2. The amusement device of claim 1., wherein said motor is spring-woundand said shaft comprises the winding shaft of said motor.

3. The amusement device of claim 2, wherein said wings are of a spreadand width greatly exceeding the largest dimension of said housing.

4. The amusement device of claim 2, wherein said 10 means for supportingsaid housing on a garment comprise at least one hook element secured onsaid opposite wall of said housing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/ 1959 Zalkind 461 5/1965 Ryan.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

1. AN AMUSEMENT DEVICE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A TOY MOTOR, AHOUSING FOR SAID MOTOR, A ROTARY SHAFT WITHIN SAID HOUSING ASSOCIATEDWITH SAID MOTOR FOR ROTATION THEREBY, AN OPENING IN ONE WALL OF SAIDHOUSING NORMAL TO SAID SHAFT, AND A KEY ELEMENT OF EXAGGERATED SIZERELATIVE TO SAID HOUSING MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT FOR ROTATION THEREWITH,MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID OPENING AND CONNECTING SAID SHAFT TO SAIDKEY ELEMENT, SAID KEY ELEMENT HAVING WINGS DEFINING A PLANE, THE AXIS OFSAID SHAFT BEING